THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS-FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1902

XXXII.—BISHOPSBOURNE.

Bishopsbourne is a parish of 2,000 acres, situate near the Canterbury side of the Elham Valley, just at the entrance of the Barham Downs.

A Glance Round.

In years past it was usual to get a first view of Bishopsbourne from the Dover Road, which on the western margin of the Barham Downs commands a view of it lying in a hollow, with Broome Park running up to the road and stretching up the opposite side of the valley. The modern way of approach now is the Railway Station on the opposite side, from which a good bird’s-eye view of the place is afforded. From either side the vale looks picturesque, and when the park, woods and meadows have on their summer dress, it is charming.

Bishopsbourne History.

As the interest in Bishopsbourne depends largely on its history, we will slightly dip into that before proceeding further. This carries us back to the time of the Saxon Heptarchy, for we gather from Dugdale’s Monasticon that in the Eighth Century the Bailiff of Canterbury, named Aldhun gave the Manor of Bourne to the Monks of Christ Church towards the support of their refectory, and the Monks some time later, that is, in the year 811, exchanged it with Archbishop Wilfred for the Manor of Eastry, thus Bourne became at that early date a part of the possession of the See of Canterbury; and in the Domesday Book it is written, “The Archbishop himself holds Burnes in demense. It is taxed for six sulings. The arable land is fifty carucates. In demense there are five carucates and 64 villiens, with 53 borderers having thirty carucates and a half. There is a church, and two mills, of eight shillings and sixpence, and 20 acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of 15 hogs. Of herbage twenty-seven pence. In its whole value, in the time of Edward the Confessor and afterwards, it was worth twenty pounds, and now thirty pounds.” Such was Bourne, or, as afterwards called, owing to the Bishop being the lord, Bishopsbourne, at the time of taking the Domesday Survey at the opening of the Norman period. The area of land held by the Archbishop was, in our measurement, about 1,440 acres, and in addition to the Archbishop’s domestic establishment, there were 114 heads of families on the estate, a considerably larger population than at the present day. The church was then in existence, although not the present fabric, and there were the mills, which were taxed—water mills probably, as the stream at Bishopsbourne was larger and more constant in old times than now. It is supposed that the Archbishop of Canterbury kept this manor in his own hands as long as it remained part of his revenues, which was until the year, 1544, when Archbishop Cranmer, by an Act of Parliament specially passed for that purpose, exchanged the Manor of Bishopsbourne and his park in this parish, called Langham Park, with Thomas Colepeper, who in turn sold it to Sir Anthony Aucher of Otterden, and subsequently it passed to the Beckingham family, who were also the owners of Bourne Place, which in early times was a separate manor held by Godric de Burnes. His descendant, John de Bourne, held it in the reign of Edward I., and after several changes it came by marriage to Stephen Beckingham. The present owner and Lord of the Manor is Matthew Bell, Esq., M.A., D.L., J.P. In the southern part of the parish, beyond the railway, is the Manor of Bursted. A family named Burghsted anciently held it, but in the reign of Henry VIII. it was sold to the Denne’s, of Dennehill, in the adjoining parish of Kingston, and some of the Dennes were interred in the chancel of Bishopsbourne Church in the Seventeenth Century. Charlton, a seat about half a mile south-east of the church, held anciently a family named Herring, and then in succession, either by inheritance or purchase, came the following owners:— John Gibbon, 1617; Sir Hewell Aucher, 1726; John Corbet, of Salop, 1735; Francis H. Foote, 1765. Later it came into the possession of the Tattersall family, and the Rev. William Tattersall, B.A., is the present owner and resident.

Bishopsbourne of To-day.

Nature never provided a pleasanter prospect than meets the eye when looking down on the village of Bishopsbourne from the Railway Station, while on the opposite side of the valley is the well wooded slope rising up to the Dover road. From the station yard are two roads, the one private leading to Bourne Park, and the other to the right leading into the village, passing en route the schools and the Rectory. In the bottom is the church, and and on the south side of it the Court Lodge, now a farmhouse occupied by Mr. William Ash. The village street leads away to the south-east, some quarter of a mile, where is situated the carpenter’s establishment of Mr. William Sharpe, also Churchwarden. A little further is the forge, Mr. Henry Maxted’s, who is also the Assistant Overseer and rate collector. On the opposite side of the street is the post office, kept by Mr. James Lucas, and the Lion's Head Inn, of which the landlord is Mr. George Turner, while a little further on is the village shop, kept by Mr. Thomas Bushell. Amongst the cottages which line the road are some presenting a picturesque appearance, which have been specially done up for use as summer residences for town families. Others, which have the hall mark of a good and modern builder, were erected perhaps half a century ago for Mr. Bell. There are other cottages on the roadside, and also on the return road leading towards the path to the station, which are very picturesque, but sadly out of repair, and several are closed. Further on in this direction is Charlton Park, under the southern edge of Barham Downs, a pretty place with a south-western aspect. Returning to the centre of the village, on the left, lies the pretty tree-embowered place known as Oswald's, the residence of Mrs. Brett, and from there a fine avenue of a quarter of a mile in length, leads up to the Dover road, on the left of which avenue is the lodge and entrance to Bourne Park, which is extensive, situated on both slopes of the valley, the mansion standing on the western declivity having an eastern aspect. This residence has for many years been regarded as the ornament of the parish. Immediately in front of it is the Bourne, a large lake (which just now owing to the dry summer is empty), which forms the source of the lesser Stour, which is here joined by the Elham Valley Nailbourne when it runs, which now seldom happens. At the top of the avenue above Bourne Park are the golf links of the Barham Downs Golf Club, and their club house. Historically, the most interesting house in the village is the Rectory. It is a large residence, almost too large, but many of the Rectors of Bishopsbourne have been dignitaries of the Church holding high social positions, and the ancient house has been from time to time enlarged to suit their requirements. The front part of the house is the more ancient part. There the walls are immensely thick, and the ceilings of the principal rooms have strong oak beams of good workmanship exposed, after the manner of ancient houses, and the ceiling between the beams is relieved with decorative painting. There are two rooms which are scarcely changed at all since the day when the Rev. Richard Hooker, the celebrated Rector of this parish, and the author of eight books on Ecclesiastical Polity, occupied them, the one a study, and the other a drawing room, and it is probable that they were used for like purposes in his day. In that study he completed his fifth book, and in the room now a drawing room he is said to have died. Round the garden there still flourishes, as a feature of interest and great beauty, the yew hedge, which he caused to be planted, and which is now ten feet high and eight feet thick. Just above the Rectory are the Schools. There was a small National School here in the early part of this century, but the present schools date from 1861, and were enlarged in 1871.

The Church.

Bishopsbourne Church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is probably of the Early English period, but there was an earlier church on the same site, of which nothing is known except the fact that it existed. Situated in the bottom of the valley, having a low, though very fine tower, and the roof being in one span, and all at one elevation, the external appearance is not so pleasing as the internal. The Church consists of a nave, a chancel, two side chapels called chancels, and two short aisles of two bays each, which make the shape of the building cruciform. This design admits of plenty of windows, hence the Church has a bright interior, and several very beautiful stained glass windows give richness to the light. The ceiling of the nave and chancel are lofty and both the same height. There is no arch between the nave and the chancel, but in the pier between the nave and the south chapel which opens into the chancel, there is a recess, in which there formerly stood an image of the Virgin Mary, and it is gravely recorded that William Haut, of Bourne Park, by his will in the year 1462 gave a piece of stone on which the Archangel Gabriel descended when he saluted the Virgin, for this image to rest its feet upon. This relic was an object of superstitious reverence at the date when the bequest was made, but in later days, no doubt, it was regarded with curiosity, and was carried off as such, for no trace of the a stone is now remaining, and the image, of course, went the way of all images at the Reformation. The recess where the image stood is pierced through the pier, and just at the back of it in the floor is a floriated coffin shaped stone over the tomb of William Haut, of Bourne Park, who gave the precious pedestal. The chancel walls are beautifully decorated with Mosaic-work, and greatly enriched by a grand five light window, erected in memory of the Rev. Dr. Hooker. The colouring is very beautiful, and each light is divided into four sections illustrating twenty scriptural subjects. There was formerly here a stained glass window, given by the Bishop of Rochestor (Dr. Murray), who was formerly Rector of Bishopsbourne, and that was removed in 1890 to give place to this as a memorial to Hooker. Below this window is a beautiful stone reredos in three panels, representing the Ascension. This was added in 1877 at a cost of £300 raised by subscriptions. The superaltar has some minute carving which is very beautiful but can only be seen to advantage by close inspection. The whole length is occupied by nine shields, each bearing a separate reminiscence of the Passion: (1) The Cord and Pillar. (2) The Crown of Thorns. (3) The Scourge. (4) The Cup. (5) The Cross. (6) The Spear and Sponge. (7) The Nails and Hammer. (8) The Coat. (9) The Ladder. On the south side of the altar there is in the wall a large and beautiful piscina, which has been restored, and it may be here mentioned that outside the north early English door there is a holy water stoup, and probably there formerly was a porch over it. The monument for Hooker, erected 33 years after his death by Sir William Cooper, was formerly on the north wall of the chancel, over the north chapel entrance, but that having been altered in the year 1885 to make room for an organ presented by Mrs. Bell, the monument was removed to the south wall of the chancel, and it is well that it did receive attention just then for on taking it down it was found that the ironwork behind it which supported the bust was so corroded that before this time, the bust, which is a very fine one, would have fallen. It has been stated that it is not known where Hooker was buried, but the Rev. John Keble, in a letter written to a friend, distinctly stated that the grave was under a plain slab in the chancel on the opposite side to the monument, so that by the removal of the monument it has been placed immediately over the grave, and the slab is there which answers the description of it given by Keble. In the west end, under the tower, is a very beautiful three-light window filled with stained glass, emblematical of Faith, Hope, and Charity, put in soon after the time of the restoration of 1872, which restoration was very thoroughly done at a cost of £1,600. In the Bell Chapel on the south side of the chancel, so called from its being appropriated to the Bell family of Bourne Park, there is an eastern window which is filled with some very richly coloured old Dutch stained glass. This was put in during the time of the Beckinghams. On each side of the window were placed two ranges of small octagonal tablets of black marble. These are of earlier date, intended to contain records of the family of Aucher and their marriages, but they were not continued.

A Notable Bishopsbourne Rector,

The list of Rectors of Bishopsbourne with Barham is notable for the distinguished positions to which many of those Rectors rose, but one of them, Richard Hooker, better known as the “Judicious Hooker,” had become celebrated before he came to this parish to spend his last years, to attempt to complete his life’s work, and died under the burden of it. Passing over the other Rectors we will dwell as little on this interesting personality. To get a realistic picture of this celebrated Rector of Bishopsbourne, it is only necessary to draw just a little on the imagination and to borrow freely from the writings of his biographers. We see him, when premature old age has been brought on by that much study that is a weariness to the flesh, issuing from the parsonage at Bishopsbourne to do his duty, walk around his parish. What is it that we see? A mild and almost timid man, made shy and worried by long seclusion in his study, low in stature, bent by the influence of sedentary and meditative habits, of quiet and retiring manners, discoloured in complexion, and worn and marked in features from mental toil expended on his great work. Meanness marks his dress, and as he walks there is a dejected listlessness in his carriage, yet as he meets a parishioner his face lights up with kindly regard, and in the homes of the afflicted it beams with fatherly tenderness. Following him from the dwellings of the poor and wretched which excite his compassion, to the residences of the more well-to-do, we find him to be a man of cheerful disposition given to a little pleasantry. Great deference for the opinions of others is mingled with grave dignity in expressing his own. Following him on his rounds as he falls in with a kindred spirit we hear him with enthusiastic exuberance enlarge on the beauties of nature, the charms of rural life, and the delight of “seeing God’s blessing spring out of mother earth.” Returning with him home, we find that, notwithstanding his studious habits, his love of nature prompted him to do a bit of gardening, to a great extent by deputy, and one of his hobbies was to plant the hedge of yew round his garden the growth of which he did not live to see. He enjoyed his garden immensely, and loved to unbend with his gardener, but this Pastor, who could be pleasant as a companion and sympathetic as a friend if we “sit under him,” as he ministers the Word from the pulpit, there is disappointment to find in so accomplished a scholar so poor a preacher. Partly from dim-sightedness, and partly from his not having accustomed himself to speak extemporarily, he never removed his eye from his manuscript. Singularly devoid of these qualities which win the applause of the multitude, weak in voice, deficient in pulpit manner, having neither effective pronunciation nor gesture to grace his matter, yet he always excited the interest of the intelligent, by the breadth and finely balanced wisdom of his thoughts, and the fascination of his composition. As Fuller expressed it, “he made good music with his fiddle and stick alone.” Such was Hooker in his last years when he was toiling in his parsonage at Bishopsbourne to complete his great work of Ecclesiastical Polity. To fully tell why he was induced to commence that work would entail rather a long narrative, but it may be abridged for our present purpose. Richard Hooker’s parents, though well connected, were poor, but his uncle, who was Chamberlain of the City of Exeter, and a man of some literary repute, learned that his nephew Richard had distinguished himself at school by his intellectual inquisitiveness. He therefore, like the good generous uncle he was, gave the lad a pension and induced Bishop Jewel to become his patron and give him a place in Corpus College, Oxford. He so acquitted himself that he soon gained an independent position as tutor. He possessed the remarkable talent of communicating knowledge in an interesting way, and he also had the happiness of winning the enthusiastic love of his pupils. It was that that helped him in later years. Not long after admission to holy orders in 1581, he was appointed to preach at St. Paul’s Cross, and he was so kindly entertained by Mrs. Churchman, who kept the Shunamite’s House, where the preachers were boarded, that he commissioned her to chose him a wife, “promising on a fair summons to return to London and accept her choice.” This good lady seems to have taken advantage of the confiding young preacher by selecting for him her daughter, Joan, who was neither amiable nor beautiful. Soon after his marriage he accepted the living of Drayton Beauchamp, in Buckinghamshire, and when his two favourite pupils, Edwin Sandys and George Cranmer, went down to visit him, they found him with the Odes of Horace in his hand tending the sheep, while the servant was at dinner, and when, on the return of the servant, they accompanied him to the house, they found him called upon to leave his young friends to rock the cradle while his wife attended to household affairs. The result of this visit was that his young friends used their influence to secure him a better position. He was appointed to the Mastership of the Temple, but there he had a rival preacher in the Rev. Walter Trevers, who was in the habit of attempting to refute in the evening what Hooker had advanced in the morning. This set his mind on controversy and led to his writing his great work on Ecclesiastical Polity. He, however, very much disliked the personal elements of the controversy at the Temple, and petitioned Archbishop Whitegift to remove him to a country parsonage, where, as he said “I may keep myself in peace and privacy, and behold God’s blessing spring out of mother earth, and eat my own bread without oppositions.” His wish was granted. First he went to Boscombe, near Salisbury, where he completed his first four books of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. In 1595 he was promoted by the Crown to the Rectory of Bishopsbourne with Barham, and it was in his parsonage here that he wrote his fifth book, completing it in 1597. The other three books he also laboured on here, but did not put them into shape for publication; in fact, these remaining books, which were published after his death, were scarcely his, although book eight was mainly his composition as he left it. In his 45th year, his fourth at Bishopsbourne, he was a prematurely aged man, and practically unable, with the care of his two churches at Bishopsbourne and Barham, to give his mind to the completion of his great work, and his inability to do so was the worry of his declining years. In the latter part of the year 1600, in a passage from London to Gravesend, he encountered bad weather, and in his subsequent journey across Kent to Bishopsbourne he caught a severe cold, from which he never recovered; nevertheless, though palsied and weak, he was in his study to the last, solicitous for the completion of his three remaining books of the Polity, which, however, he was unable to accomplish. Respecting Hooker’s monumental work, there have been various opinions, but the direct interest in it now is philosophical and political rather than theological. A life of Hooker was published by Dr. Gauden in 1662, and Isaac Walton in 1666 wrote another to correct the errors of the former. Queen Elizabeth much admired his writings, and she called him the “judicious Hooker,” because the calm and passionless exposition of principles led him away from the minutiae of mere temporary disputes, which he always sought to avoid. Pope Clement VIII. thus spoke of his books:- “This man indeed deserves the name of an author. His books will get reverence by age, for there is in them the seeds of eternity, that they shall continue till the last fire shall devour all learning.” The following is a copy of the Latin epitaph erected to his memory in the chancel of Bishopsbourne Church by Sir William Cowper, of Ratling Court, in the parish of Nonington, an ancestor of Cowper the poet;-

“Richardus Hooker, Exoniensis Scliolaris, sociusque Collegii Corporis Christi, Oxon, deinde Loud. Templi Interioris in sacris magister, rectorque hujus Exclesisc. Scripsit octo libros Politic Ecclesiasticae Anglicanae quorum tres desiderantur. Obit An. Do. MDCIII, AEt suae L, Posuit hoc piissimo viro monumentum An. Do.  MDCXXXV. Guli Cowper armiger, in Christo Jesu quem genuit per Evangelium."

(Richard Hooker, Exeter Scliolaris, and ally of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, then Land. In the sacred inner teacher, and rector of Exclesisc. Politics Church of England, wrote eight books, three of which are desirable. An discharges. So. 1603, aged 50 she made the most of this monument or her husband. So. 1635. Guli Cowper to his armor-bearer, whom he became the father of Christ Jesus through the good news in the.)

Bishopbourne Memorials.

In the Church, in addition to the special memorials already mentioned, there are several others. On the right side of the north entrance there is a coloured glass window, subject—The Sinner and the Publican, in memoriam of John Tattersall, obit., 4th February, 1873. In the north aisle is a mural tablet of black marble on which are two pages of a book in white marble containing a Latin inscription to the memory of Johanni McDavitt, M.D., who died in 1839. At the top of the north aisle is a large memorial tablet to John Cockman, M.D., of Charlton Park, 1739. There is also a memorial to Petronell, wife of the Rev. Dr. John Fowell, rector, 1766, she was buried under the altar. At the top of the south aisle are several mural tablets to the Buckinghams of Bourne Place. Against the south pier at the entrance to the chancel is a memorial to the Foote family, formerly of Charlton Park. In the south aisle are memorials for the Mulcasters, formerly of Charlton Park, and there is also in this aisle a coloured window in memory of Jane, relict of of John Bell, Esq., K.C. There are many very handsome memorials in the churchyard, but most of the older ones are obliterated.

Population and Location.

According to the census of 1891, the population of Bishopsbourne was 316. Eighty years ago, in 1821, there were 63 inhabited houses in the parish and 325 inhabitants. Last October, at the revision of voters, there were 47 registered householders, not counting women householders. The localities where these householders reside are described as Near Station, Crow’s Camp, Court Lodge Farm, Bursted Valley, the Village, Lenhall, Charlton Park, Bourne Park, Coldharbour, Pheasants Hall. Eight of the householders moved into the parish during the last year, the places from which they removed being Ickham, Boughton Adolph, St. Margaret’s-at-Cliffe, Wingham, Selling, Kingstone, Blean, and Seasalter. The last mentioned removal is that of the present Rector, the Rev. William Blissard, M.A., of Emanuel College, Cambridge, who came to Bishopsbourne rather less than a year ago, having been Vicar of St. Alphege, Seasalter, Whitstable, for 33 years. He succeeded the Rev. Thomas Hirst, M.A. who had been Rector of Bishopsbourne 26 years.